Southern Cross 28 restoration and possibly going ENGINELESS

I see in your knee-jerk reaction you didn't actually read my post. Please try again with a less condescending attitude.

 

... and I complete my previous quote with info on Torqeedo, a German company of good reputation here in Europe for marine electrical propulsion, offering a wide variety of models inc. some reversible (propulsion or hydrogenerator mode) :
Electric powered outboards for boats - Torqeedo https://www.torqeedo.com/en

 

This video showing a Sakonnet 23 powered by a Torqeedo pod drive, installation being done recently by Ballantines boat shop at Cataumet (Ma), perhaps not far from where you live :

 

When I gutted the diesel on my 30' Albin, I looked at the various electric drives install being performed and based upon the weight and on small units, the overall lack of proven reliability, decided to go with a conventional Tohatsu outboard. They make a sailpower version now with a 25" shaft setup for thrust over speed. The disadvantages that I see over diesel are as follows:
1) It will dramatically lower the resale market value for your boat. I got my boat in about the same shape you go yours so I am willing to take that hit if I sell it before I kick off.
2) I have gasoline, with all of its explosive power on my boat. I had that already since I run a Honda generator, so not a new problem for me. My car and my daughter's car and my motor boat all have that same issue and we have gotten used to it.
3) On my boat you have to get out of the boat and onto the swim platform to deal with the motor. This is neither safe nor yachts-man-like. I am old, my kids are grown. I can take that risk, and I have no shame. You might have a way to do the following:
4) Its a hand start
5) Not nearly as cool as being able to say ' I have an all electric drive.' or even, 'I have a diesel'.

That all said, here are the advantages that I see:
1) It is very inexpensive, proven, super reliable technology. My Japanese cars, my Japanese rifles, everything they do, the Japanese are - at least in the modern era - just driven to building perfection it seems. In 95' Seiko Nakajima in a 21ft boat motored across the Atlantic with an off the shelf 2.5hp Tohatsu outboard. I am guessing that they have come even further in the last two decades.
2) I can pull if from the water to eliminate the prop drag when I sail. Light air makes me crazy. Everything I can do to eliminate light air drag is important to me.
3) I can pull it from the water to get the rope off of the prop. It happens more often than you think. In the night, in a storm, alone, or in the dang winter, the last thing I want to do is dive under a pitching boat and try to deal a with a dang fouled prop - again.
4) I can pull it from the boat myself and take it to the repair shop in the trunk of my car since it weighs 60 Lbs.
5) I can use it to power my dinghy if I need to.
6) I can buy a new one for $1,600 if this one give me any trouble.
7) I have great tight quarters maneuverability.
8) I could carry a complete spare that I can install and operate in minutes and still be 1/5th the cost and 1/4th weight of a diesel.
9) I sail anytime there is wind but I could motor 300 miles on 24 gallons of fuel that I carry. The same fuel that powers my 0.3 gallon/per hour generator. My boat is light and small so weight is an issue. For the weight of a diesel I can carry 50 more gallons of fuel or over 600 miles of motoring and I can carry it all if I wanted to in the same space as the diesel.
10) I can generate 5 amps of power when its running. That is not much but it is an emergency backup source for navigation if solar cells and my gen set, and my backup gen set all fail.
11) And finally, it's a hand start.